Feelings and Revelations
by Broken Rebel
Summary: One-shot story that takes place during Deathly Hallows. Ginny is at Hogwarts without Harry, Ron or Hermione to keep her company. Instead she finds herself in the company of Neville, who helps her confront her feelings about Harry and the war around them.


Okay, so this is my first fanfic in a while. I've written things here and there, but never really published and the one story I did publish I took down because I never finished it and I don't know if I am going to. But anyway, I digress. This one is a short one-shot. It takes place at Hogwarts during the beginning of the school year in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The main characters are Ginny and Neville (NO nothing is going on between them!!!), and none of the other characters make an actual appearance other than conversation and thoughts. Clearly this has some spoilers from Deathly Hallows and Half-Blood Prince.

I also do not own Harry Potter. How I wish!

So please review and give me any thoughts, ideas, criticism, comments, etc! Enjoy!

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A slight breeze was in the air as a red-haired girl made her way across the grounds, lost in her thoughts. Her black robes flowed behind her as she walked, slightly frayed and clearly handed down. She came to the lake and stopped, her sad and worried reflection gazing back at her in the still waters. The sun beat down on the grounds, making for a warm September day. She glanced around at the empty grounds of Hogwarts, reminiscing on what the school used to be like before Dumbledore died and Snape took over. The school had been restored back to how it looked like before the battle that took place earlier in the year. Her gaze strayed to where Dumbledore's white tomb lay,

She wasn't supposed to be walking out here without anyone, or well, rather just be walking out on the grounds, really. Not with the rules Snape had implemented. But what else could she do? She knew the repercussions would be severe if and when she was caught wandering the grounds, but she didn't really care. There were only a few people who would actually punish her if they caught her. Her gaze lifted toward the bright blue sky. It was a beautiful day despite the tough times the wizarding and Muggle worlds were facing.

Her thoughts strayed to a particular brown haired, green-eyed boy. Well, she supposed, he wasn't really a boy anymore. Never really was, considering how fast he had to grow up. She never really considered that until now. She let her thoughts wander to him, sighing. _Oh Harry,_ she thought, _I hope you are okay. And I hope you come back, for my sake. I need you. Please keep Ron and Hermione safe, and most importantly, keep yourself safe.  
_

"Oi! Ginny!" A voice startled her out of her thoughts. She turned around and saw Neville, a bright pudgy boy jogging toward her. As she watched him, she reflected on all the hardships the two of them had gone through together, both in Hogwarts and outside of Hogwarts. She thought of how he fought in their recent battles together, and felt reassured that he would fight to the death. Not just for himself or for his friends, but for his parents, who were permanently admitted to St. Mungo's.

"Hey Neville," She smiled at him when he came closer, clearly out of breath. "How's it going?"

"What are you doing? If Snape or Malfoy or any of those Death Eaters that have been named Professors catch you here, you are in so much trouble…." Neville spoke extremely quickly and stopped short of finishing his sentence, glancing around hurriedly. He looked extremely concerned, and Ginny admired him for it. Neville never wanted his friends to get in trouble, and would look out for them. He forced himself to continue, "You know they are looking for any reason to punish the students here, especially if they're in Gryffindor. Do you remember what they did to Seamus when he accidentally trod on Malfoy's foot? If they catch you out here, it'll be worse than that. Remember that McGonagall can only do so much for us now that Snape is Headmaster….'

She shrugged. 'Just enjoying the beautiful day, I suppose. I don't care what they do to me if they catch me; it can't be any worse than what _they're_ doing out there…" She glanced down at the ground, the grip on her wand tightening.

Neville watched her, saying nothing. He knew she was talking about Harry, Hermione and Ron, but he also knew she was also referring to what the Death Eaters were doing now that they had free reign of both worlds. Instead he took her arm and gently pulled her back to the castle, making sure no one was around as he did. Silently they went back into the castle and made their way to the Gryffindor Common Room silently. The Fat Lady gazed at them when they came to the portrait.

"Password?" She inquired.

"_Fortius quo fidelius_," Neville responded. She nodded and the portrait swung open to reveal the Gryffindor Common Room. There were more people than usual for a weekend there, either doing homework or chatting, since Snape had forbidden any wandering on the grounds and parts of the corridors. The two of them climbed in. Neville glanced around until he spotted a secluded area in a corner, away from people and potential eavesdroppers. He led Ginny there and had her sit in a chair.

"What are you doing?" She glared at him as he dragged over a chair and sat himself down. She didn't know what he was trying to do and didn't care much for it, since all she wanted to do was go sneak back outside. She just wanted to be away from the grips of Snape's leadership in the school, away from all her problems, away from everything with no repercussions.

"Clearly you don't care what happens to you if you get caught wandering around on your own outside. But do you know others care?" He replied, not backing down from the glare she was giving him. "People like Harry, your family, others and me?"

She relaxed considerably at the mention of Harry, and sighed. "Neville, it's not that I don't care. It's more complicated than that."

"Then what? What's the complication?" He shook his head, feeling extremely frustrated. She was frustrating him; this was not the first time he had caught her wandering on her own in areas they were not allowed outside of classes their first month back at school.

"I don't know. I just feel so worthless sitting here while Harry, Ron and Hermione are out there risking their lives trying to find a way to defeat You-Know-Who. I want to be out there with them. I want to fight." She finally pulled her stare away from Neville and over to a table where a bunch of first year boys sat playing Exploding Snap. She glanced away, feeling slightly jealous and sad. They were in such different worlds than most of the students now.

"So would I, but this is the place we should be. Where _they_ want us to be! We can't go around risking our lives when it isn't necessary. Besides, what if something happens here? We're responsible for Hogwarts. We can't let Hogwarts be taken over by the Death Eaters." Neville said quietly. "You know they wouldn't want it be taken over."

"I know, but you don't understand." Ginny was shaking her head fervently. She _wanted_ to make him understand, but he was being difficult.

"What don't I understand?" Neville asked, trying not to prod her too much. He knew that if he asked too many questions, she'd grow weary and close herself off. He didn't want that.

"What if something happens to any of them and we don't know about it? Especially Harry… we won't ever have a chance if he goes and gets himself killed! And my brother… I don't know what Mum would do if she lost one of us!" Tears were falling fast into Ginny's lap. "And Hermione, Ron really likes her and if something happens, they'll be devastated. But I'm not there to experience what they're going through, to support them." She rapidly wiped the tears from her face with the sleeve of her robes, suddenly embarrassed that he had witnessed her crying.

Suddenly Neville understood. He knew Ginny and Harry had revealed their feelings for each other last year, and Ron was her brother so that meant a lot in itself. He didn't know Ron liked Hermione, but he should have realized it a while ago. There had been clues, always had been. There was a lot riding on their mission outside of Hogwarts, more than just saving the world from Voldemort's grasp on the wizarding world. Their own little world was counting on them to return safely. He understood Ginny's want to be with them; he felt it himself. He wanted to be out there with them, because just being with them would be enough. They were his friends too, and he did worry about what would happen to them. He wanted to be out there with them, meeting each challenge as it came, but being at Hogwarts was where they had to be. At least for the time being. What he had planned for the Death Eaters who were now taking over the school would eventually send him out, most likely by force, but he knew what he was going to do was the right thing to do.

He let out a heavy sigh, choosing each word carefully. "Ginny, I know you would much rather be out there braving the dangers, but I'm sure they would want you here. Despite Snape being Headmaster, you're safer here than out there. I don't think your Mum would like knowing the two youngest children of hers were out facing dangers of this nature. I'd prefer being out there as well, but I also feel like we have to be here to protect Hogwarts. We have a role in this too, you know. There are dangers here too, whether you realize that or not." He paused, thinking. "And besides, if Harry makes it out alive, you both can make the most out of it without any fears of You-Know-Who threatening death over all of our lives."

Ginny glanced at him, her eyes glistening from tears that threatened to fall again. "I just want him to come back safely and unharmed. I wish we had had more time with each other. I wish I had gotten to tell him just how much I care about him and for how long before he went running out into danger. He had to run at Bill and Fleur's wedding because Death Eaters were attacking and I haven't seen or heard from him since. Or any of them. It's probably for the best, since they are being hunted, but I just want a sign that they are okay. People are disappearing, Neville. What if he's one of them? What if one of them disappears and we don't know about it, or even what happens?"

"You said they had to run, though. And they can't get into contact with anyone because, like you said, they are being hunted by Voldemort and his Death Eaters," Neville reminded her gently. "That in itself is dangerous to do. I'm sure they are doing fine. We can do stuff here to keep ourselves occupied and do our part in this war, too. You know that. They wouldn't want us out there with them anyway. This is something they have to do themselves."

Ginny lapsed into silence and the two friends didn't say anything more. Ginny had liked Harry for so long that she doubted she could ever stop if she tried. All of the boys she had dated thus far were okay, but not who she had really wanted to be. She had watched him from a distance, jealous that all the girls gave him attention just because he was _the_ Harry Potter, the only one who survived the Killing Curse, and especially jealous when he got involved with Cho. However, as she watched him all these years, her crush on him had grown. It helped that Ron was his best friend. It was a dream come true when he kissed her that fateful night, after their Quidditch game. It was everything she had ever hoped for. Ever since then, she couldn't shake him off her mind. And now that he was gone doing his saving the world thing, she definitely could not get him off her mind.

It was all tiring, really. She had been unprepared for the toll it had taken on her, both emotionally and physically. But she promised herself she would do everything in her power to make sure Hogwarts was safe and that the Death Eaters would hear about their control over the school. Harry, Ron and Hermione would want that.

"Okay Neville. Let's make sure the Headmaster and his fellow Death Eaters get a taste of what will happen when they take over our school." She said, abruptly standing up and startling Neville, her eyes glinting mischievously. "I know you've started causing some ruckus yourself, but let's finish this together. For their sakes and for the rest of the school's sakes."

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So that's it. I'm sure you all know what kind of happened at Hogwarts to Neville if you've read Deathly Hallows. Also, it's been a while since I've last written, so it's probably very obvious. Not nearly as descriptive as I used to be, haha.


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